DJJ to remove girls from facility

Friday

Dec 21, 2012 at 12:01 AMDec 21, 2012 at 4:39 PM

The Milton Girls Juvenile Residential Facility in East Milton will be closed on Dec. 24, according to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. The girls remaining in the facility at this time are being relocated.

Sara Berres and Lynne Hough / news@srpressgazette.com

The Milton Girls Juvenile Residential Facility in East Milton will be closed on Dec. 24, according to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. The girls remaining in the facility at this time are being relocated.

Citing significant health, safety and security concerns with the administration and operations in Milton, the Department of Juvenile Justice decided to relocate youth in the facility to other programs. When the provider company, Universal Healthcare Services, Inc., DBA Gulf Coast Treatment Center, Inc. was made aware of the decision, they "requested to terminate the program's contract, and DJJ accepted that termination."

“Recently, many youth in the facility expressed concerns for their personal safety to DJJ, the Department of Children and Family Services and local law enforcement,” according to DJJ officials.

DJJ is currently in the process of transferring all remaining youth in the facility to alternative programs.

The Milton Girl’s Facility Supervisor, Shannon Abbott, 33, is facing a felony child abuse charge after an incident that took place in August.

A second employee, Carol Andrus, the program administrator, is also under investigation for a separate incident of alleged excessive force.

"DJJ will not tolerate activities which place the youth for whom we are responsible in harm's way, including those under the supervision of our contract providers,” DJJ stated in a previous release.

According to the Gulf Coast Youth Services' website, the Milton Girls Juvenile Residential Facility is a moderate risk, 60-bed commitment program for the Department of Juvenile Justice serving females ages 13-18.